Christie's Traditional Ballad Airs, II, 44; "long favorite
in the counties of Aberdeen and Banff."
| 1 |
'Will ye go to the Hielans, my bonny lad?
Will ye go to the Hielans, Geordie?
Though ye tak the high road and I tak the low,
I will be in the Hielans afore ye.' |
| 2 |
He hadna been in the high Hielans
A month but barely twa, O,
Till he was laid in Prison strong,
For hunting the king's deer and rae, O. |
| 3 |
'O where will I get a bonny, bonny boy,
That will run my errand cannie,
And gae quickly on to the bonny Bog o Gight,
Wi a letter to my lady?' |
| 4 |
'O here am I, a bonny, bonny boy,
That will run your errand cannie,
And will gae on to the bonny Bog o Gight,
Wi a letter to your lady.' |
| 5 |
When she did get this broad letter,
A licht, licht laugh gae she, O;
But before she read it to an end
The saut tear was in her ee, O. |
| 6 |
'O has he robbd? or has he stown?
Or has he kill d ony?
Or what is the ill that he has done,
That he's gaun to be hangd sae shortly?' |
| 7 |
'He hasna robbd, ha hasna stown,
He hasna kill d ony;
But he has hunted the king's deer and rae,
And he willl be hang d shortly.' |
| 8 |
'Come saddle to me the bonny brown steed,
For the black never rade sae bonny,
And I will gae on to Edinboro town
To borrow the life o my Geordie.' |
| 9 |
The first water-side that she cam to,
The boatman wasna ready;
She gae anither skipper half-a-crown,
To boat her oer the ferry. |
| 10 |
When she cam on to Edinboro town,
The poor stood thick and mony;
She dealt them money roun and roun,
Bade them pray for the life o her Geordie. |
| 11 |
When she gaed up the tolbooth-stair,
She saw there nobles mony,
And ilka noble stood hat on head,
But hat in hand stood Geordie. |
| 12 |
Then out it spak an English lord,
And vow, but he spake bonny!
'If ye pay down ten thousand crouns,
Ye'll get the life o your Geordie.' |
| 13 |
Some gae her marks, some gae her crouns,
Some gae her guineas rarely,
Till she paid down ten thousand crouns,
And she got the life o her Geordie. |
| 14 |
Then out it spak an Irish lord,
O wae befa his body!
'It's a pity the knicht didna lose his head,
That I micht hae gotten his lady.' |
| 15 |
But out it spak the lady hersel,
And vow, but she spak bonny!
'The pock-marks are on your Irish face,
You could not compare wi my Geordie!' |
| 16 |
When she was in the saddle set,
And on ahint her Geordie,
The bird on the bush neer sang sae sweet,
As she sung to her love Geordie. |
| 17 |
'First I was mistress o bonny Auchindown,
And I was lady o a' Carnie,
But now I have come to the bonny Bog o Gight,
The wife o my true-love Geordie. |
| 18 |
If I were in the high Hielans,
I would hear the white kye lowing;
But I'd rather be on the bonny banks o Spey,
To see the fish-boaties rowing.' |
